


love me then, love me now, love me forevermore

by kimannhart



Series: ironhusbands bingo 2019 [3]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, i guess that canon divergence applies, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-10-26 15:57:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20744846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimannhart/pseuds/kimannhart
Summary: Tony was five years old when he realized he had a soulmate. He didn’t know that soulmates were even a thing until Jarvis had told him during a bedtime story. From that moment forward, Tony loved his soulmate. He couldn’t wait to meet the person that help him see the colors that Jarvis described to him. He couldn’t wait to meet the person that he’ll love for the rest of his life.





	love me then, love me now, love me forevermore

**Author's Note:**

> This fulfills my O5 - Soulmates square for ironhusbands bingo!
> 
> This isn't beta read, so all mistakes are mine.

Tony was five years old when he realized he had a soulmate. He didn’t know that soulmates were even a thing until Jarvis had told him during a bedtime story. 

_“... and when you meet your soulmate, you’ll finally see get to see the world for how beautiful it is. You’ll finally get to see colour.” _

_“Color?” a young Tony asked, his head tilted to the side. “Wha’s that?”_

_“Why, colour is the way in which we express our emotions. Take when red for example. Red can be the color of love but it can also be the color of anger.”_

_“Oh! Like when daddy starts yelling!” Tony excitedly replied.  
_

_Jarvis frowned at Tony’s answer, but decided to press him for more answers later. _

_“When will I get to see the colors, Jarvis?”   
_

_“Once you meet your soulmate.”_

_“Soulmate?”  
_

_Jarvis nodded. “A soulmate is the person you’re destined to be with forever, the one that will love and cherish you for the rest of your life.”_

_Tony’s eyes widen. “Forever?” _

_“Indeed, Anthony, forever.”  
_

_“Wow.”  
_

From that moment forward, Tony loved his soulmate. He couldn’t wait to meet the person that help him see the colors that Jarvis described to him. He couldn’t wait to meet the person that he’ll love for the rest of his life.

And about ten years later, Tony met his soulmate. 

_Tony was walking out of the restroom on the fourth floor of the library when he realized he slammed the door in someone’s face. _

_“Ow, fuck!”   
_

_“Oh my gosh,” Tony started, “I’m so fucking sorry.” He quickly looks down to help the other boy up. Suddenly, a flash had hit Tony. He gasped at the change. _

_Color. _

_He can fucking see color._

_ “Well,” the voice from the floor started to say, “if that ain’t a way to meet your soulmate.”   
_

_The voice jolted Tony back to reality. His cheeks flushed. Tony outstretched his hand for his soulmate to grab, “I’m so sorry,” he apologized once more. His heart quickened when his soulmate accepted his hand. _

_“It’s okay.”   
_

_Tony shook his head. “It’s really not,” he argued. “Let me buy you dinner as an apology?” _

_“There really is no need for that, but I won’t say no to dinner, gives me a chance to get to know the person I’m gonna spend the rest of my life with.”  
_

_A shy smile painted Tony’s face. “I’m Tony,” he introduced. _

_“Hi, Tony. I’m James.”  
_

Just from that interaction alone, Tony knew that the fates had given him an amazing soulmate. 

And he was right.

James, or Rhodey as Tony later started to call him—along with some other various nicknames—was the fucking best.

He balanced Tony out. He brought the love and affection that Tony’s been desperately been craving for years. He wasn’t afraid to call Tony out on his bullshit. He defended him from the callous tabloids and their peers. He unconditionally supported his inventing endeavors, even when others had told Tony that what he was creating was fruitless. And to top it all off, he most definitely had all of the brain cells between the two of them. 

The relationship that they had with each other went slow, and to be perfectly honest, Tony preferred it that way. They started holding hands and cuddling with each other five months after they first met. The kissing started when Tony turned eighteen. And the sex was finally factored in by the time Tony turned twenty-one. They didn’t even say their first, ‘I love you’s’ until Tony was twenty-five.

_“Tones?” James muttered out late one night as the two were cuddling in their bed right after a much needed reunion._

_James had just gotten home from deployment overseas. Tony missed his soulmate so much that the moment James stepped foot into their home, Tony peppered kisses onto his face and dragged him to their bedroom._

_“Hmm?” Tony sleepily replied.   
_

_“I love you,” James whispered.   
_

_The phrase brings a soft smile to Tony’s face. _

_“I love you too.”  
_

The two were so hopelessly in love and it showed.

They had thought they would live up until they were old and grey and die together.

But unfortunately for them, life doesn’t always end the way they planned.

_He was gone._

_Tony was gone. _

_He had sacrificed himself for the rest of the world and he was fucking gone._

_And it hurt James so much._

_A comforting hand squeezes James out of his thoughts. He wiped away his tears and sees Sharon giving him a sad smile. _

_“I miss him,” he said as he rested his head on her shoulder.  
_

_“I do too,” she replied. Sharon lets out a heavy sigh. “My cousin was so fucking stupid for sacrificing himself like that,” she bit back a sob. “But it’s so Tony.”_

_The two sit quietly, taking comfort in each other’s presence._

_“I can’t see color anymore,” James admitted a few moments later.  
_

_The moment Sharon heard the crack in James’s voice, she wrapped her arms around the man. The two quietly sobbed together as they shared their pain in losing Tony._

It’s been two years since Tony had selflessly gave himself up to save the rest of the world. James adjusted, but his life just wasn’t the same without Tony. He and the remaining Avengers were currently fighting the latest new villain, some new sorcerer that could multiply himself. 

James was busy fighting one of the sorcerer’s henchmen when he hears Sam’s voice call out to him. 

“RHODEY! LOOK OUT!” 

But Sam’s warning came too late. A sharp pain entered James’s chest. When he looked down, he realized he’d been impaled. He knew that this was it. That it was his time to go. 

As James slowly started to fade away, there was only one thing on his mind: _Tony._

* * *

“It’s about time you got here,” a familiar voice called out to James. “It’s been so lonely without you.” 

James fluttered his eyes open and was immediately greeted to Tony’s face. “Tony?”

“Hi, Honey Bear.”

James bottom lip quivered as tears filled his eyes.

Tony was here.

James was finally reunited with his love.

James was finally _home_.


End file.
